Cristina Banegas, a Argentine theater, film and TV actress, was honored as best actress for her role as the mother of a girl with Down syndrome who fights her health insurance company when it won't authorize life-saving heart surgery for her daughter.

Unlike previous years when Britain dominated the awards honouring excellence in television production outside the U.S., the winners in the nine categories this year spanned six countries. Argentina, Brazil and Britain each won two Emmys; Australia, France and Germany had one apiece.

Murphy closed the awards ceremony by delivering a moving tribute to Lear, now 90, and M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H star Alda as he presented them with the 40th Anniversary Special Founders Award.

Eccentric style: Mexican actress and dancer Edith Gonzalez, left, and Indian television actress Prerna Wanvari, right, stood out from the crowd

The International Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences marked the milestone anniversary by
presenting special awards honouring a producer and performer who had
groundbreaking shows on TV in 1972 when the International Emmys were
first presented.

Fittingly, the night's big winner was
Argentina's Television x la Inclusion, a drama produced by On TV
Contenidos dealing with issues of social exclusion and inclusion. It
became the first series in the history of the International Emmys to
sweep both acting categories.

The British winners were in the
documentary category for 'Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die,' about the
author who after his Alzheimer's diagnosis travels to a Swiss clinic for
a first-hand look at assisted suicide procedures, and 'Black Mirror,' a
suspenseful and satirical look at the unease created by modern
technology, in the TV movie/mini-series category.

Something to celebrate: Tristan Chytroschek, left, Susanne Mertens, right, of Germany pose with presenter Prerna Wanvari after winning the Arts Programming award for Songs of War

Style sets: Regis Philbin and his wife Joy, left, coordinated in black, as did Bridget Moynihan and Donnie Wahlberg of the CBS series Blue Bloods, right

Hamming it up: Donnie Wahlberg turned heads as he gestured down the carpet

All smiles: Ryan Murphy, right, poses with presenter Jessica Lange

Both of Brazil's wins went to TV Globo productions. The Invisible Woman, about a publicist married to his boss whose relationship is threatened by the appearance in his life of his imaginary ideal woman, was chosen the best comedy. The Illusionist, the story of a scam artist who becomes an illusionist after meeting a magician in jail, won in the telenovela category.

Murphy himself was honoured midway through the awards ceremony hosted by Regis Philbin at the Hilton New York Hotel. Jessica Lange, the star of Murphy's contemporary gothic TV series American Horror Story, presented him with the honorary 2012 International Emmy Founders Award.

Murphy, the writer, director and producer whose credits also include 'Nip/Tuck' and 'Popular,' was recognized for the impact his shows have had in recognizing diversity and encouraging people to become more inclusive. With 'Glee,' Murphy also essentially created a novel TV format mixing music with drama/comedy.

At the end of the ceremony, Murphy
returned to the stage to give the awards to Lear and Alda. Murphy
recalled how moved he was when he watched Lear's sitcoms in his youth -
All in the Family and its spinoffs 'Maude' and 'The Jeffersons,' which
decades later inspired him to produce Glee and The New Normal.

Lear's shows were funny but tackled
the key social issues of the day - racism, sexism, even abortion, rape
and homosexuality - a sharp contrast to `60s hits like The Beverly
Hillbillies and Green Acres which avoided race or other social problems.

Alda starred as the wise-cracking,
anti-authoritarian Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on
M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H, in which the Korean War served as a
stand-in for social commentary on the Vietnam War. He became the only
person ever to win U.S. Emmys for acting, writing and directing in the
same series.

Got the gold: Dr. Kim In-Kyu, CEO and president of the Korean Broadcasting System, left, and winner of the category best performance by an actress, Argentinean actress Cristina Banegas, right

The other Emmy winners included
France's police drama Braquo, about a group of Parisian cops who
circumvent the law, using violence and intimidation, for best drama
series; Germany's Songs of War, in which Sesame Street composer
Christopher Cerf explores the relationship between music and violence
after learning his songs had been used to torture prisoners in
Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, for arts programming; and The Amazing Race
Australia for non-scripted entertainment.

Six International Emmys for children's programming will be presented at a new awards ceremony on February 8 in New York.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
gave a taped introduction before Korean entertainer J.Y. Park presented
the honorary International Emmy Directorate Award to Kim In-kyu,
president of the Korean Broadcasting System.